San Francisco ‘Comfort Women’ Statue Now Open to Public

In 17 days since its unveiling ceremony on September 22, the “Comfort Women” memorial statue in St. Mary’s Square in San Francisco has finally become open to the public.

St. Mary’s Square, which previously was a private property, is now donated to the city along with the statue. With the finalization of such process, walls surrounding the statue were removed and people from foundations and local groups gathered to celebrate.

“We are happy to find the ‘Comfort Women’ statue, which the Korean, Chinese, and Filipino communities have erected in cooperation, open to the public,” Kim Han-il, the representative from Kim Jin-deok · Jeong Kyoung-sik Foundation, said. “We wish that the statue is made known to the world so that it can remind people not to repeat the painful history.”

“The government of Japan has to stop its attempt to conceal the historic war crimes,” Lee Kyoung-yi from Korean Women’s International Network (KOWIN) emphasized. “The government has to sincerely apologize to the victims of the wartime sex slavery.

City officials including Supervisor Jane Kim, Supervisor Aaron Peskin, and Supervisor Sandra Lee Fewer, in addition to people from local Korean communities, celebrated at the event.